This week’s slate of new movies across the best streaming services has been set, and to be upfront, it’s a slow one. It seems the majority of streamers are taking an early summer vacation, as it’s only Netflix and Shudder holding down the fort with new movies to watch.
However, if you don’t mind coughing up a rental/purchase fee, you do have some great options in the premium streaming space. Namely, the arrival of “Michael,” the seriously popular Michael Jackson biopic starring Michael’s real-life nephew, Jaafar Jackson. There’s also “Mortal Kombat II,” if you’re in the mood for some very over-the-top action sequences.
While the choices this week are thinner than normal, I’ve still combed through the latest arrivals and picked out a handful of noteworthy new movies for your watchlist. Don’t forget to check out this article’s companion piece, covering all the top new TV shows this week.
Title |
Genre |
Streaming location |
Release date |
|---|---|---|---|
"Michael" |
Musical biopic |
PVOD |
June 9 |
"Mortal Kombat II" |
Fantasy action |
PVOD |
June 9 |
"Let's Love" |
Comedy drama |
PVOD |
June 9 |
"I Am Frankelda" |
Fantasy musical |
Netflix |
June 12 |
"Find Your Friends" |
Dark thriller |
Shudder |
June 12 |
‘Michael’ (PVOD)
The long-in-development Michael Jackson biopic finally hit theaters in April. To the surprise of practically nobody, it was a smash hit, raking in some $850 million globally to date. The movie focuses on Jackson’s life and career from the 1960s through to the late 1980s, with Jaafar Jackson playing his real-life uncle in a star-making performance. Crammed full of some of the best pop songs ever written, it’s a certified crowd-pleaser.
The movie starts in 1966, with a young Michael Jackson part of the Jackson 5 family band, overseen by his demanding father, Joseph Jackson (Colman Domingo). As Michael’s star rises, he longs to strike out on his own, and despite his father’s desires to keep him caged, his drive to be an independent artist fuels him on to a level of superstardom only the Beatles can rival. Glossing over the most controversial elements of Jackson’s life, “Michael” is a curated portrayal of his peerless career, and viewers rate it 97% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Watch "Michael" on Prime Video (Buy/Rent) starting June 9
‘Mortal Kombat II’ (PVOD)
To give “Mortal Kombat II” some credit, it really does nail the most important aspect: the intense and appropriately violent fighting scenes. This fantasy sequel, based on the video game series, is all about the world’s best brawlers engaging in…well, engaging in mortal combat! The narrative is nonsense, and the dialogue is extremely hammy, but when two of its cast members step into the ring and throw fists, fans won’t be disappointed.
Ahead of the 10th Mortal Kombat tournament, in which the merciless Shao Kahn (Martyn Ford) is hoping to capture and control Earthrealm, the defenders of our planet recruit washed-up actor Johnny Cage (Karl Urban) to join their ranks. What follows is a series of death matches in which the fate of our world is at stake. Stuffed with fan-favorite characters and references to Mortal Kombat lore, this sequel delivers where it counts.
Watch "Mortal Kombat II" on Prime Video (Buy/Rent) starting June 9
‘Let’s Love’ (PVOD)
British comedy “Let’s Love” has skipped the big screen, going straight to video-on-demand, which makes it something of an unknown quantity at this stage. I can’t tell you if it’s worth paying a rental fee to watch. However, it comes from writer/director Jamie Adams, whom I would categorize as a safe pair of hands, and it stars Martin Freeman, Josh Hutcherson, Malin Akerman, Jess Weixler and Craig Roberts, which is not a bad cast list.
The movie sees the cast and creatives of a breakout hit movie reunited 10 years later at a fan convention. Now, back together, old wounds and tensions surface, and some romantic sparks start to fly. Freeman plays the movie’s screenwriter, Nigel; Akerman plays the director, Andrea, and Hutcherson and Weixler play the two stars. The fictional movie is called “Don’t Delete the Kisses,” which I’m guessing is inspired by Wolf Alice.
Watch "Let's Love" on Prime Video (Buy/Rent) starting June 9
‘I Am Frankelda’ (Netflix)
Netflix’s new animated dark fantasy musical reminded me at first glance of Guillermo del Toro’s own stop-motion spin on “Pinocchio” (which hit Netflix in 2022). Come to find out, del Toro actually served as a mentor figure to directors Arturo Ambriz and Roy Ambriz. This one looks like a weird and wonderful journey, and the animation style has caught my eye. I’m pleased to see Netflix spotlight creative efforts like “I Am Frankleda.”
The movie focuses on the titular Frankleda, a 19th-century horror writer in Mexico. Unknown to her, the realm she dreams up, Topus Terrenus, actually exists in a parallel dimension. When an inhabitant of this ghostly kingdom convinces her to travel across the dimensional plane, she experiences firsthand a world that previously only existed in her imagination. Guided by Herneval, the land’s prince, she has to use her writing to save both the Realm of Fiction and the Realm of Existence.
Watch "I Am Frankleda" on Netflix starting June 12
‘Find Your Friends’ (Shudder)
Shudder pitches itself as the home of horror and dark thrillers, so if you like your movies to be bleak and full of scares, it’s a streaming service you might want to consider. Its latest original effort is “Find Your Friends” from writer/director Izabel Pakzad. The movie premiered at last year’s Fantasia International Film Festival to a solid (not spectacular) reception, and stars Helena Howard, Bella Thorne, Zión Moreno, Chloe Cherry and Sophia Ali.
The movie centers on a group of girls taking a trip to Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California. This girls' trip quickly turns nasty when they face hostility from the locals, and the group’s own toxic dynamic starts to turn them against each other. What was supposed to be an unforgettable desert getaway becomes a relentless battle for survival.
Watch "Find Your Friends" on Shudder starting June 12
